Access to guest accounts in electronic commerce

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are various embodiments involving access to guest orders in an electronic commerce application. In one embodiment, a guest order is generated for the purchase of a product in a server based on interaction with a client over a network. The guest order is stored in a data store in isolation with respect to a plurality of user accounts and in isolation with respect to a plurality of other guest orders stored in the data store. Client access is provided in the server to order data associated with the guest order to facilitate at least one customer action with respect to the guest order.

BACKGROUND

Many people are unwilling to purchase items from online merchants due tothe fact that they may be required to provide personal financialinformation to the merchant that will then be maintained in an account.As a consequence, online merchants are essentially unable to sell theirproducts to such people, thereby limiting their sales potential.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a drawing of a data communications network according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of one example of a user interface generated on adisplay device of a client in the data communications network of FIG. 1according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of an example of another user interface generated ona display device of a client in the data communications network of FIG.1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a drawing of an example of still another user interfacegenerated on a display device of a client in the data communicationsnetwork of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates one example of functionalityimplemented as a portion of an electronic commerce applicationimplemented in a server in the data communications network of FIG. 1according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates another example of functionalityimplemented as a portion of an electronic commerce applicationimplemented in a server in the data communications network of FIG. 1according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates one example of aserver employed in the data communications network of FIG. 1 accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following discussion describes systems and methods relating toproviding access to order information associated with guest ordersgenerated in an electronic commerce environment according to variousembodiments. Such guest orders are typically generated withoutestablishing a user account with the online merchant as will bedescribed. For the sake of convenience, first a data communicationsnetwork 100 is described, followed by a discussion of the operation ofthe various components of the data communications network 100 accordingto various embodiments.

With reference to FIG. 1, shown is an example of a data communicationsnetwork 100 that includes a server 103 and one or more clients 106 thatare coupled to a network 109. The network 109 may comprise, for example,the Internet, intranets, extranets, wide area networks (WANs), localarea networks (LANs), wired networks, wireless networks, or othersuitable networks, etc., or any combination of two or more suchnetworks. For purposes of convenience, the server 103 and client(s) 106are referred to herein in the singular. However, it is understood thatin one embodiment, the server 103 may represent a plurality of servers,and the client 106 may represent a plurality of clients.

The server 103 is employed to execute various applications that providefor the network presence of online merchants as will be described. Ascontemplated herein, the terms “network presence” refer to the onlineexistence of an online merchant through which products may be sold bythe online merchant. To this end, a “network presence” may be viewed asa network portal or structure through which an online merchant can sellproducts. Such a portal may comprise, for example, a network site suchas a website like those found on the Internet such as EBAY™, GOOGLE™,YAHOO™, or other online merchants. In addition, the products soldthrough the network presence of online merchants may comprise goodsand/or services.

The server 103 may comprise, for example, a server computer or likesystem. The server 103 may represent multiple servers arranged, forexample, in one or more server banks or other arrangements. Such serversmay be located in a single installation or may be dispersed among manydifferent geographical locations. To this end, a server 103 may beviewed as a server “cloud” that represents the computing capacity ofmultiple servers, etc.

Various applications and data are executed or stored in the server 103according to various embodiments. The data associated with the operationof the various applications described below may be stored in a datastore 123 as can be appreciated. The applications executed on the server103 include various network server applications 126 and an electroniccommerce application 129. The network server applications 126 maycomprise, for example, web servers or other types of network serverapplications 126 that provide browser access or other appropriate typesof access to clients 106 and the like using various protocols such asthe transmission control protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Theelectronic commerce application 129 facilitates the network presence ofan online merchant. According to one embodiment, the electronic commerceapplications 129 facilitate the creation of orders for products as aproduct of interaction with a client 106 over a network 109.

Stored within the data store 123 is all of the data that is necessaryfor the electronic commerce application 129 to conduct commercialtransactions through the network presence of an online merchant. To thisend, such data includes user accounts 136, authenticated orders 139,guest orders 143, and other data. The authenticated orders 139 aregenerated by purchasers for which a user account 136 is maintained inthe data store 123. To this end, such purchasers are typicallyauthenticated with at least a username and password before access to thedata in their user account 136 is provided. The guest orders 143 aregenerated by guest purchasers for which no user account 136 ismaintained. As contemplated herein, a “user account” 136 comprises dataassociated with a given purchaser that facilitates at least onecommercial transaction between a merchant and the purchaser.

Alternatively, the so called “guest order” 143 is generated by a guestpurchaser for which no user account 136 is maintained by the onlinemerchant. To this end, the purchaser who originates a guest order 143 isdeemed a guest purchaser as there is no user account 136 maintained forthe purchaser. To this end, the guest purchaser is required to entertheir information such as shipping address, payment instrumentinformation, and other information for each guest order 143 submitted assuch information is not maintained in a corresponding user account 136for the guest purchaser. Once a guest order 143 is created, from time totime a corresponding guest purchaser may wish to access the informationassociated with the guest order 143 to make changes or to cancel theguest order 143 altogether before it is shipped. To this end, theelectronic commerce application 129 includes a guest order accessapplication 133 that facilitates such access as will be described.

Each of the guest orders 143 are stored in the data store 123 inisolation with respect to the user accounts 136. This means that thereis no association drawn between any one of the guest orders 143 and anyone of the user accounts 136. Also, each of the guest orders 143 isstored in isolation with respect to other ones of the guest orders 143.That is to say, the data associated with each guest order 143 isself-contained and is complete in and of itself. No data associated withany two or more guest orders 143 is stored in a common location such asa user account 136. Thus, if a guest purchaser wishes to access orderinformation associated with two or more guest orders 143 that arecurrently being fulfilled, such a guest purchaser would need to accesseach guest order 143 individually in a manner as will be described.

Further, the data associated with guest orders 143 is not maintained inthe data store 123 except as needed to implement the fulfillment of theguest order 143 and as may be required by applicable statutes and/orother laws that govern online commercial transactions.

The client 106 is representative of a plurality of client devicescoupled to the network 109. The client 106 may comprise, for example, aprocessor-based system such as a computer system. Such a computer systemmay be embodied in the form of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, apersonal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, set-top box, musicplayers, web pads, tablet computer systems, or other devices with likecapability. The client 106 may include, for example various peripheraldevices. In particular, the peripheral devices may include input devicessuch as, for example, a keyboard, keypad, touch pad, touch screen,microphone, scanner, mouse, joystick, or one or more push buttons, etc.The peripheral devices may also include a display device 153, indicatorlights, speakers, etc. The display device 153 may comprise, for example,cathode ray tubes (CRTs), liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, gasplasma-based flat panel displays, LCD projectors, or other types ofdisplay devices, etc.

Executed within the client 106 are various applications including abrowser application 156. The browser application 156 is configured tointeract with the electronic commerce application 129 and otherapplications on the server 103 through the network server applications126 according to an appropriate protocol such as the Internet ProtocolSuite comprising Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) or other protocols. To this end, the browser application 156may comprise, for example, a commercially available browser such asINTERNET EXPLORER™ sold by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., orMOZILLA FIREFOX™ which is promulgated by Mozilla Corporation of MountainView, Calif., or other type of browser. Alternatively, the browserapplication 156 may comprise some other application with likecapability. When executed in the client 106, the browser application 156renders network pages that include various user interfaces 159 fordisplay.

The guest order access application 133 may serve up various networkpages and send messages to the client 106 during the process ofestablishing access to the content of a guest order 143 for a guestpurchaser. During this process, the guest order access application 133may send various network pages such as an input page 163 and aconfirmation network page 166 in response to various requests from theclient 106. The guest order access application 133 also sends anelectronic message 169 having a link 173 included therein to the client106 as will be described.

Next, a general discussion of the operation of the various components ofthe data communications network 100 is provided. To begin, theelectronic commerce application 129 facilitates the generation of guestorders 143 for the purchase of products by guest purchasers. To thisend, the electronic commerce application 129 serves up multiple networkpages that facilitate the input of needed information to generate guestorders 143. Such information may comprise, for example, identityinformation, billing address, shipping address, payment instrumentinformation, and any other needed data.

Ultimately, after a guest order 143 is generated, the same is stored inthe data store 123 as described above. The guest order 143 is stored inthe data store 123 in isolation with respect to the user accounts 136,and in isolation with respect to the other guest orders 143 stored inthe data store 123.

Once a guest order 143 has been created, then it may take a short periodof time before the guest order 143 is actually fulfilled. To this end,various fulfillment capabilities may be employed to ship an orderedproduct to a customer in fulfillment of the guest order 143. Suchfulfillment resources may comprise, for example, fulfillment centers,warehouses, and/or other materials handling centers.

Given that a period of time exists between the time that the guest order143 is created and the time it is fulfilled, then it is possible thatchanges may be made to the guest order 143 before fulfillment. Forexample, it may be the case that a guest purchaser may wish to reducethe quantity of a product purchased, cancel the guest order 143, or makeother changes as can be appreciated.

According to one embodiment, the guest order access application 133provides client access to order data associated with one or more guestorders 143 to facilitate an action to be taken by a guest purchaser withrespect to the guest order 143. The action taken may comprise editingthe pending guest order 143 before it is fulfilled, canceling the guestorder, or other action. According to one embodiment, the access that isprovided to a guest order 143 limits the different types of actions thatmay be taken by a guest purchaser with respect to a guest order 143 soas to prevent or minimize fraud or other problems as will be described.

In one example, the customer actions that may be taken with respect to aguest order 143 are restricted to a set of potential actions that do notresult in an increase in an original purchase price that was associatedwith the guest order 143. This is to prevent unscrupulous individualsfrom accessing the guest order 143 after stealing the necessary orderinformation from the guest purchaser and increasing the products subjectto the guest order 143, thereby increasing the price. In such case, aguest purchaser could never be charged more than the original amountowed at the time that the guest order 143 was originated, therebyminimizing the losses due to potential fraud.

In order to provide access to a guest order 143 for a guest purchaser,the guest purchaser first executes the browser application 156 andaccesses appropriate network pages of an online merchant to requestaccess to a guest order 143. Such a request is transmitted to thenetwork server applications 126 and ultimately is received and processedby the guest order access application 133 as part of the electroniccommerce applications 129. In response to the request, a further inputnetwork page 163 may be served up to the requesting client 106 thatobtains input from the guest purchaser. The input network page 163 isdisplayed on a display device 153 of the client 106 to facilitate theinput of information that uniquely identifies the guest order 143 storedin the data store 123. In one example, such information may comprise,for example, an order number or other information.

In addition, the input network page 163 also facilitates the input of anetwork delivery address of a guest purchaser associated with the guestorder 143. The network delivery address may comprise, for example, anyaddress information that allows a message 169 to be sent thereto so thatthe guest purchaser can access the message 169. Thus, the networkdelivery address may comprise an email address, an SMS address (i.e., atelephone number), or other type of address to which an electronicmessage 169 may be transmitted. Alternatively, other information may berequested such as confirmation numbers, physical addresses, answers tosecurity questions, or other information. The input network page 163 maybe configured to require the information entered to conform withpredefined conventions to prevent errors.

Once the requested information is entered into appropriate fields orother components of the input network page 163, the guest purchaser maycause the client 106 to send such information to the server 103. Inresponse, the server 103 first checks to see that the input informationis valid (i.e., formatted correctly) and that the input information suchas an order number actually corresponds to one of the guest orders 143stored in the data store 123.

Also, the guest order access application 133 determines whether thenetwork destination address received from the client 106 is associatedwith one of the user accounts 136. To this end, if the destinationaddress and order number are associated with a respective one of theuser accounts 136, then the guest order access application 133 may causea login network page (not shown) to be sent to the client 106 thatfacilitates a user login to the respective user account 136. Thisprevents a purchaser who holds a user account 136 from purchasingproducts as a guest purchaser or accessing orders created under a useraccount as a guest purchaser.

For example, where a guest purchaser attempts to access guest orders 143that were created before a user account 136 was established for theguest purchaser, then the guest order access application 133 may allowthe user to access only the guest orders 143 as a guest purchaser. Inthis embodiment, a user would not be allowed to access orders createdunder a user account as a guest purchaser. Thus, if both an order numberand destination network address are entered that are associated with anorder created under a user account, the user may be presented with anappropriate login page through which their account may be accessed. Ifthe order number entered with a destination network address isassociated with a guest order and the destination network address isassociated with both guest orders 143 and orders generated under a useraccount, then the purchaser may be provided access to only the guestorder 143 as a guest purchaser as described herein. Where a destinationnetwork address entered by a purchaser is only associated with ordersgenerated under a user account, the purchaser may be presented with alogin page to facilitate access through the user account as guest accessto such orders would be improper.

Assuming that the login network page that facilitates access to a useraccount is sent to the client 106, the purchaser may be required toenter login information such as, for example, a user name and passwordor other login information to access their user account 136 throughwhich they should be able to access the orders associated with theiruser account 136. This prevents a purchaser who holds a user account 136in the data store 123 from attempting to access an authenticated order139 associated with their user account 136 through a guest order accessprocess.

Assuming that the guest order access application 133 receives thenetwork delivery address, order number, or other information from theclient 106 and the order number and network delivery address areassociated with a guest order 143, then a message 169 containing a link173 to a confirmation network page 166 is sent to the network deliveryaddress. The confirmation network page 166 is served up by the guestorder access application 133 as part of the electronic commerceapplications 129. The confirmation network page 166 may comprise, forexample, a user interface 159 that is rendered on the display device 153to facilitate confirmation of the information previously entered for theguest order 143. In one example, the confirmation network page 166requests a user to re-input the order number or other informationassociated with the guest order 143 to which they desire to gain access.

The confirmation network page 166 is generated upon receiving anindication in the server 103 from a client 106 that the guest purchaserclicked on or otherwise manipulated the link 173 in the message 169.Once this indication is received, then the guest order accessapplication 133 is configured to proceed to generate and send theconfirmation network page 166 to the client 106.

According to one embodiment, the link 173 that was included in themessage 169 transmitted to the network delivery address described aboveis valid for a predefined period of time. That is to say, when the guestorder access application 133 sends the message 169 including the link173 to the respective delivery address, the guest order accessapplication 133 begins tracking a predefined period of time within whichthe link 173 is valid. To this end, the guest order access application133 may set a timer or other component that is employed to track thepassing of a predefined period of time that occurs after the message 169is sent to the delivery address.

In one embodiment, a guest purchaser must manipulate the link 173 tosend the request to the server 103 for the confirmation network page 166while the link 173 is valid in order for the guest order accessapplication 133 to actually serve up the confirmation network page 166.Assuming that a user manipulates the link 173 in the message 169 beforethe predefined period of time has passed, then the guest order accessapplication 133 responds by generating the confirmation network page 166and sending the same to the client 106. Alternatively, if the indicationthat the user has manipulated the link 173 in the message 169 isreceived at the server 103 after the passing of the predefined period oftime, then the guest order access application 133 sends an error messageto the client 106 indicating that the link 173 is no longer valid.

Thus, when the message 169 is sent to the network delivery address witha link 173 to the confirmation network page 166, a guest purchaser has alimited amount of time within which they must access the message 169through an electronic mail (email) system or other system and manipulatethe link 173 before it is invalid. This ensures that the link 173 is notvalid for an extended period of time so as to minimize the possibilityof fraud in cases where unscrupulous individuals may illicitly gainaccess to the link 173.

In cases where a guest purchaser is unable to access the message 169 inorder to manipulate the link 173 in time before the link 173 becomesinvalid, then the user may start the process anew by accessing theoriginal input network page 163 to input the delivery address, ordernumber, and/or other information as described above.

Upon receiving the confirmation network page 166, the guest purchasermay enter appropriate information such as the order number or otherinformation in order to further authenticate the guest purchaser. Atimer may be employed to track whether the guest purchaser entersinformation through the confirmation network page 166. If the timerexpires without action by the user, then the session may be canceled andthe guest purchaser will be required to start the process once more togain access to the order.

Assuming that the appropriate information is entered into theconfirmation network page 166, then a guest order summary page is servedup to the client 106 that indicates the order information andfacilitates editing the order. An inactivity timeout period may beassociated with the guest order summary page to ensure that it is notaccessed by unscrupulous individuals that might make unwanted changes tothe guest order in the absence of the quest purchaser.

With the foregoing in mind, reference is made to FIG. 2 which shows anexample of a user interface 159 (FIG. 1), denoted herein as userinterface 159 a, according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In one embodiment, the user interface 159 a may be embodiedin the input network page 163. As shown, the user interface 159 ainstructs the user to enter required information. This may beaccomplished by using various input fields such as, for example, anorder number input field 183 and an address input field 186.Alternatively, input fields may be provided to input other types ofinformation. The input fields 183 and 186 are listed along withinstructions to enter such information and indicate that the guestpurchaser would have a limited amount of time to check their emailaccount or other message delivery system to open the message 169 andmanipulate the link 173 to the confirmation network page 166 asdescribed above.

With reference to FIG. 3, shown is another user interface 159 denotedherein as user interface 159 b according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The user interface 159 b provides for the re-entryof information entered in the user interface 159 a (FIG. 1). The userinterface 159 b may be embodied in the confirmation network page 166(FIG. 1) described above. The user interface 159 b is downloaded to theclient 106 (FIG. 1) in response to a manipulation of the link 173(FIG. 1) included in the message 169 (FIG. 1) transmitted from theserver 103 (FIG. 1) as described above. According to one embodiment, theuser interface 159 b includes an order number input field 193.Alternatively, the guest purchaser may be required to enter otherinformation in order to confirm the desire to access the guest order 143(FIG. 1).

By virtue of the fact that the message 169 with the link 173 is sent tothe given destination network address associated with the guestpurchaser, the possibility of fraud is minimized. This is the case asthe guest purchaser will have a limited time within which they mustaccess the message 169 and click the link 173 included therein toultimately gain access to the confirmation network page 166 to confirminformation entered and to confirm that they are in fact the guestpurchaser associated with the guest order 143 to be accessed.

Also, given the fact that the message 169 is sent to a specificdestination address, then the possibility of third parties obtainingaccess to the guest order 143 is minimized as the message 169 containingthe link 173 is only transmitted to the specified destination addressand the link 173 is only valid for a predefined period of time. The factthat the link 173 is only valid for a predefined period of time preventsanother user from accessing the email system or other messaging systemof a guest purchaser and subsequently clicking on the link 173 to gainaccess to the guest order 143 in order to make unauthorized changesthereto long after the link 173 would normally have expired.

Referring next then to FIG. 4, shown is a user interface 159 (FIG. 1)which is denoted herein as user interface 159 c according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. The user interface 159 c depictsan order summary of a guest order 143 (FIG. 1). A guest order 143 may befulfilled by sending multiple shipments, where different products orgroups of products associated with the guest order 143 may be shipped tothe guest purchaser at different times. Also, it is possible that aguest purchaser may specify different shipping addresses for respectiveitems associated with a given guest order 143.

To this end, the user interface 159 c lists the order number and thedate the guest order 143 was placed. Also, the user interface 159 cincludes shipment boxes 203 that list each product that is included in agiven shipment. Each shipment may include an order status 206. The orderstatus 206 may comprise, for example, “not yet shipped,” “in process,”“shipped,” or some other status. To the extent that the status of one ormore products subject to a guest order 143 is “not yet shipped” asindicated in a respective shipment box 203, then it may be possible tomake changes to the guest order 143 as it sets forth informationregarding those products.

In order to facilitate changes to a given shipment expressed in ashipment box 203, various components such as an “edit” button 209 and a“cancel” button 213 are included in the shipment box 203. The editbutton 209 may be clicked on or otherwise manipulated so as to allow auser to edit the guest order 143 with respect to the products listed inthe shipment box 203. In response, one or more subsequent network pagesmay be served up to the client 106 that facilitate changing variousparameters such as the size, color, or some other aspect of a productthat is subject to the guest order 143 as listed in the shipment box203. Alternatively, the guest purchaser may also change the shippingaddress, the shipping type to be employed to transport the items to theshipping address, and other aspects of the shipment depicted.

However, in some embodiments, it may not be possible for the guestpurchaser to change the shipping address so as to avoid the occurrenceof fraud. In addition, according to one embodiment, the guest purchaseris prevented from making a change to a quantity of any one of theproducts associated with the shipment box 203, for example, that resultsin an increase in the shipment or guest order price. By enforcing thisrule, the price associated with a guest order 143 is prevented fromincreasing beyond that which was originally specified when the guestorder 143 was created.

Nonetheless, one may be allowed to delete products from the guest order143, thereby resulting in a reduction of price. In addition, the cancelbutton 213 may be manipulated to cancel the portion of the guest order143 indicated in the shipment box 203 in which the cancel button 213appears.

In some situations, the shipment identified by shipment box 203 may be“in process” or “shipped.” In such cases, fulfillment centers or othermaterials handling centers may have already started the process offulfilling a guest order 143 such that the process cannot be reversed.In such case, a user is prevented from making any edits to the guestorder 143 by virtue of the fact that the edit buttons 209 and the cancelbuttons 213 are not included in the respective shipping box 203.However, it should be noted that shipments may be subject to otherstatus beyond “not yet shipped,” “in process,” and “shipped.” Also,certain fulfillment centers or other materials handling facilities mayoperate so as to allow an individual to cancel a guest order 143 untilit actually has shipped out the door or perhaps even while products arein transit on the way to the shipping address with an appropriatecarrier.

In addition, when a shipment is actually shipped, the user interface 159c may include a “track your package” button 216 that allows a user totrack the progress of the package in transit. To this end, the trackyour package button 216 may actuate a link to the network site of acarrier that can provide the status of the shipment at any given time.Alternatively, the track your package button 216 may cause a subsequentnetwork page to be downloaded that facilitates the entry of a shipmentnumber and other information needed in order to obtain a status of aproduct in transit. In one embodiment, the electronic commerceapplication 129 may interact with the servers of a carrier to obtain theshipment information to be presented to a user as can be appreciated. Inaddition, the user interface 159 c includes a payment information box223 that lists the payment information as well as the monetary totalsfor the guest order 143 depicted in the user interface 159 c.

Beyond those described above, the various actions that a guest purchasercan take with respect to a given guest order 143 include changing giftoptions such as whether a purchased product is to be gift wrapped, or toinclude, delete, or edit a gift message associated with the purchasedproduct. In addition, a shipping type may be changed such that a productis shipped to a guest purchaser via a faster (i.e. overnight) or slower(regular post) shipping option that is currently specified. Also, aguest purchaser might wish to change a payment method or a billingaddress, etc. Still further, a promotion that did not exist when a guestorder was created might be retroactively applied to the guest order by aguest purchaser through one or more further network pages. In addition,there may be other actions that a guest purchaser may be allowed to takewith respect to a given guest order.

By virtue of the fact that the user can make the changes to the guestorder 143 as described above, then fewer calls to a customer serviceoperation will be made in order to make such changes for guest orders143. In addition, an inactivity timeout may be associated with the userinterface 159 c to minimize an occurrence of fraud.

With reference to FIG. 5, shown is a flowchart that provides one exampleof functionality of the guest order access application 133 according tothe various embodiments of the present disclosure. Alternatively, theflowchart of FIG. 1 may be viewed as depicting methods of a stepimplemented in the server 103 as can be appreciated. The flowchartillustrates examples of specific functionality implemented in the server103 in order to provide access to information associated with a guestorder 143 generated by the electronic commerce application 129 asdescribed above.

To begin, in box 253, the guest order access application 133 serves upthe input network page 163 to the client 106 to facilitate an input ofinformation needed to provide access to a guest order 143 for therespective guest purchaser. To this end, the network page may embody,for example, the user interface 159 a and may present other informationas can be appreciated. In box 256, the guest order access application133 waits to receive the authentication data entered such as, forexample, the order number and destination network address entered intothe order number input field 183 (FIG. 2) and address input field 186(FIG. 2) as described above. If such information is not received withina given period of time, then the operation of the guest order accessapplication 133 may be aborted and the transaction is cancelled.

Assuming that such information is received in box 256, then in box 259,a secure link 173 is sent in a message 169 to the destination networkaddress specified by the guest purchaser. Also, the timer that tracksthe limited period of time to receive a response from the guestpurchaser is started.

Before the message 169 with the secure link 173 is sent, the guest orderaccess application 133 may check to see if a guest order 143 exists forthe destination network address entered. To this end, it may be the casethat an individual (1) has only created guest orders 143, (2) hascreated guest orders 143 prior to establishing a user account andcreating orders in association with the user account, or (3) only hasorders created through a user account and, according to one embodiment,should not be allowed to access such orders as a guest purchaser. In thefirst scenario, the logic would proceed to facilitate access to theguest orders 143. In the second scenario, the logic would proceed toprovide access to the guest orders 143 only and would not be able toaccess any orders associated with a user account. In the third scenario,a user would be presented with a login page to access their user accountand they would not be allowed to access orders created under a useraccount as a guest purchaser. In addition, other approaches may beemployed in this respect.

Next, in box 263, assuming that the message 169 with the secure link 173was sent to the destination network address, the guest order accessapplication 133 determines whether the time period tracked by the timerhas passed. If so, then the link 173 has become invalid. In such a case,the guest order access application 133 proceeds to box 266 in which thesession is canceled. If the user clicks on the link 173 after the timeperiod expires, then an appropriate network page is generated thatindicates that the link 173 has expired.

However, if the time period has not expired in box 263 then the guestorder access application 133 progresses to box 269. In box 269, theguest order access application 133 determines whether an indication thatthe link 173 was actuated has been received. Such an indication may beembodied in a message 169 from the client 106 (FIG. 1) that indicatesthat the link 173 in the message 169 has been manipulated. Assuming thatsuch a response is received in box 269, then the guest order accessapplication 133 proceeds to box 273. Otherwise, it reverts back to box263 as shown.

In box 273 the guest order access application 133 serves up theconfirmation network page 166 (FIG. 1) in response to the manipulationof the link 173 in the message 169 and starts a validity timer to tracka timeout period associated with the confirmation network page 166. Theconfirmation network page 166 facilitates the reentry of data or theentry of new additional data to further authenticate the user withrespect to the guest order 143. In box 275, the guest order accessapplication 133 determines whether the timeout period associated withthe confirmation network page 166 has expired. If so, then the guestorder access application 133 proceeds to box 266 described above tocancel the session. To this end, the confirmation network page 166 isdeemed valid for a predefined period of time within which the user needsto enter the requested information. In box 276, the guest order accessapplication 133 determines whether an appropriate response has beenreceived from the client 106 that includes the entered information tofurther authenticate the guest purchaser. Assuming that the response isreceived in box 276, then the guest order access application 133progresses to box 279. Otherwise, the guest order access application 133reverts back to box 275.

In box 279, a template or other appropriate data structure is accessedor generated for the guest order summary network page that is to bepopulated with data so as to ultimately disclose the information as wasdescribed above, for example, with the user interface 159 c (FIG. 4).Such a template may be dynamically constructed using various networkpage components and other data as can be appreciated. Then, in box 283,a first shipment associated with the guest order 143 in question isidentified. Thereafter, in box 286, a shipment box 203 may be generatedin the guest order summary network page that includes appropriatecomponents that facilitate various user actions with respect to theguest order 143 depending at least in part upon the status of therespective shipment as described above.

The components may comprise, for example, the edit button 209 (FIG. 4),the cancel button 213 (FIG. 4), the track your package button 216 (FIG.4) and other components as can be appreciated. Thereafter, in box 289,the guest order access application 133 determines whether the lastshipment associated with the guest order 143 has been noted in the guestorder summary network page. If not, then the guest order accessapplication 133 reverts back to box 293 to designate the next shipmentto be represented in the guest order summary network page. Thereafter,the guest order access application 133 reverts to box 286.

Assuming that the last shipment has been addressed in box 289, then theguest order access application 133 proceeds to box 296 to add anyfurther information to the guest order summary network page such aspayment information, etc., before serving up the guest order summarynetwork page to the client 106. Also, an inactivity timer associatedwith the guest order summary network page is initiated that prevents anyedits to the guest order through the guest order summary network page ifno activity is detected for the inactivity period. This prevents fraudby minimizing the possibility that an unscrupulous individual may gainaccess to the guest order summary network page in the absence of theguest purchaser. The inactivity timer may track a time period ofappropriate length such as, for example, 15 minutes or other timeperiod. Thereafter, the guest order access application 133 ends asshown.

In addition, it is understood that other functionality may be includedin the guest order access application 133 beyond that described above tofacilitate the various capabilities described herein.

With reference next to FIG. 6, shown is a flowchart that depicts anexample of additional functionality of the guest order accessapplication 133 according to further embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Alternatively, the flowchart of FIG. 6 may be viewed assteps of a method implemented in the server 103 according to variousembodiments. The functionality of the guest order access application 133as depicted in FIG. 6 is presented as an alternative embodiment in whichchanges to shipments are allowed if they are deemed permissible based atleast in part upon a number of predefined rules.

For example, a rule may be created that states that no price of a guestorder 143 can increase by virtue of an edit made by a guest purchaser.Such may occur, for example, if the quantity of products subject to aguest order 143 is increased, or if an item is eliminated that triggeredspecial pricing such as a two-for-one deal. In addition, there may bemany other types of changes that ultimately result in an increase in theprice. In addition, a rule may be created that allows certain priceincreases within a given range, percentage of the original purchaseprice, or based on some other condition.

To begin, in box 303, the guest order access application 133 determineswhether a desired potential change received from a client 106 ispermissible based at least in part upon a predefined set of rules. Tothis end, one or more user interfaces 159 (FIG. 1) may be presentedduring the course of facilitating an edit of a guest order 143 topresent respective information to facilitate the editing of the guestorder 143. Thereafter, in box 306, if the guest order access application133 determines that the edit is not permissible, then the guest orderaccess application 133 proceeds to box 309. Otherwise, the guest orderaccess application 133 progresses to box 313. In box 309, further guestorder summary network pages or other network pages are served up to theclient 106 that include an indication that the desired edit was notpermissible. Thereafter, the guest order access application 133 ends asshown.

An edit to a guest order may be deemed permissible depending upon therules that are applied. For example, as mentioned above, a rule maydictate that the ultimate purchase price associated with a guest ordercannot increase over the original purchase price, over a certainpercentage higher than the original purchase price, or over some otherthreshold. In some cases, canceling a product may nullify the effect ofa promotion, thereby resulting in an increase in price even though feweritems are purchased.

However, assuming that the guest order access application 133 progressesto box 313, then the desired edit is implemented and the guest order 143is changed accordingly. Then, in box 316, a revised guest order summarynetwork page is served up to the client 106 that includes the editedguest order information. Thereafter, the guest order access application133 ends as shown.

Referring next to FIG. 7 shown is a schematic block diagram of oneexample of the server 103 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The server 103 includes at least one processor circuit, forexample, having a processor 403 and a memory 406, both of which arecoupled to a local interface 409. To this end, the server 103 maycomprise, for example, a server computer or like device. The localinterface 409 may comprise, for example, a data bus with an accompanyingaddress/control bus or other bus structure as can be appreciated.

Stored in the memory 406 are both data and several components and/orapplications that are executable by the processor 403. In particular,stored in the memory 406 and executable by the processor 403 are aserver operating system 413, the electronic commerce application(s) 129,the guest order access application 133, and the network serverapplication(s) 126, and potentially other applications.

Also, stored in the memory 406 is the data store 123 in which is storedthe various data items described above so as to be accessible to theprocessor 403. It is understood that there may be other applicationsthat are stored in the memory 406 and are executable by the processor403 as can be appreciated. Also, other data may be stored in the memory406 and accessed by the processors 403 beyond the data items describedabove.

A number of software components are stored in the memory 406 and areexecutable or executed by the processor 403. In this respect, the term“executable” means a program file that is in a form that can ultimatelybe run by the processor 403. Examples of executable programs may be, forexample, a compiled program that can be translated into machine code ina format that can be loaded into a random access portion of the memory406 and run by the processor 403, source code that may be expressed inproper format such as object code that is capable of being loaded into arandom access portion of the memory 406 and executed by the processor403, or source code that may be interpreted by another executableprogram to generate instructions in a random access portion of thememory 406 to be executed by the processor 403, etc. An executableprogram may be stored in any portion or component of the memory 406including, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory(ROM), hard drive, solid-state drive, USB flash drive, memory card,optical disc such as compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD),floppy disk, magnetic tape, or other memory components.

The memory 406 is defined herein as both volatile and nonvolatile memoryand data storage components. Volatile components are those that do notretain data values upon loss of power. Nonvolatile components are thosethat retain data upon a loss of power. Thus, the memory 406 maycomprise, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory(ROM), hard disk drives, solid-state drives, USB flash drives, memorycards accessed via a memory card reader, floppy disks accessed via anassociated floppy disk drive, optical discs accessed via an optical discdrive, magnetic tapes accessed via an appropriate tape drive, and/orother memory components, or a combination of any two or more of thesememory components. In addition, the RAM may comprise, for example,static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM),or magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and other such devices. The ROMmay comprise, for example, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), anerasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other like memory device.

In addition, the processor 403 may represent multiple processors and thememory 406 may represent multiple memories that operate in parallel. Insuch a case, the local interface 409 may be an appropriate network thatfacilitates communication between any two of the multiple processors,between any processor and any one of the memories, or between any two ofthe memories etc. The local interface 409 may comprise additionalsystems designed to coordinate this communication, including, forexample, performing load balancing. The processor 403 may be ofelectrical or of some other available construction.

The various applications, network pages, and other components describedabove may be implemented using any one or more of a number ofprogramming languages such as, for example, C, C++, C#, Visual Basic,VBScript, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Ruby, Python, Flash, Hypertext MarkupLanguage (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or other programminglanguages.

Although the various applications described above may be embodied insoftware or code executed by general purpose hardware, as an alternativethe same may also be embodied in dedicated hardware or a combination ofsoftware/general purpose hardware and dedicated hardware. If embodied indedicated hardware, the same can be implemented as a circuit or statemachine that employs any one of or a combination of a number oftechnologies. These technologies may include, but are not limited to,discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing variouslogic functions upon an application of one or more data signals,application specific integrated circuits having appropriate logic gates,or other components, etc. Such technologies are generally well known bythose skilled in the art and, consequently, are not described in detailherein.

The flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 show examples of the functionality andoperation of an implementation of the various applications describedabove. If embodied in software, each of the various blocks described mayrepresent a module, segment, or portion of code that comprises programinstructions to implement the specified logical function(s). The programinstructions may be embodied in the form of source code that compriseshuman-readable statements written in a programming language or machinecode that comprises numerical instructions recognizable by a suitableexecution system such as a processor in a computer system or othersystem. The machine code may be converted from the source code, etc. Ifembodied in hardware, each block may represent a circuit or a number ofinterconnected circuits to implement the specified logical function(s).

Although the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 show a specific order ofexecution, it is understood that the order of execution may differ fromthat which is depicted. For example, the order of execution of two ormore blocks may be scrambled relative to the order shown. Also, two ormore blocks shown in succession in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be executedconcurrently or with partial concurrence. In addition, any number ofcounters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messages might beadded to the logical flow described herein, for purposes of enhancedutility, accounting, performance measurement, or providingtroubleshooting aids, etc. It is understood that all such variations arewithin the scope of the present disclosure.

Also, where the various applications described herein comprise softwareor code, each can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use byor in connection with an instruction execution system such as, forexample, a processor in a computer system or other system. In thissense, the applications may comprise, for example, statements includinginstructions and declarations that can be fetched from thecomputer-readable medium and executed by the instruction executionsystem. In the context of the present disclosure, a “computer-readablemedium” can be any medium that can contain, store, or maintain logic orcode for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system.The computer readable medium can comprise any one of many physical mediasuch as, for example, electronic, magnetic, optical, or semiconductormedia. More specific examples of a suitable computer-readable mediumwould include, but are not limited to, magnetic tapes, magnetic floppydiskettes, magnetic hard drives, memory cards, solid-state drives, USBflash drives, or optical discs. Also, the computer-readable medium maybe a random access memory (RAM) including, for example, static randomaccess memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), ormagnetic random access memory (MRAM). In addition, the computer-readablemedium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory(PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or othertype of memory device.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations setforth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure.Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andprotected by the following claims.

Therefore, the following is claimed:
 1. A system, comprising: acomputing device; a plurality of user accounts stored in a data storeaccessible by the computing device, each of the user accounts beingassociated with one of a plurality of purchasers; and an electroniccommerce application executable on the computing device, the electroniccommerce application being configured to: interact with a client togenerate a guest order for the purchase of a product, wherein a guestpurchaser is identified in the guest order, and the guest purchaser isnot associated with any of the user accounts; store the guest order inthe data store in isolation with respect to the user accounts and inisolation with respect to a plurality of other guest orders stored inthe data store; and provide client access to order data associated withthe guest order to facilitate at least one action by the guest purchaserwith respect to the guest order, wherein in order to authenticate theguest purchaser, the electronic commerce application is furtherconfigured to: generate an input page to send to the client, the inputpage facilitating an input of both a delivery address of the guestpurchaser and an order number associated with the guest order toauthenticate the guest purchaser to facilitate the client access toorder data associated with the guest order; send a message to thedelivery address via a network upon receiving the input of the deliveryaddress and the order number, the message including a link to aconfirmation network page; generate the confirmation network page uponreceiving an indication in a server from the client that the link wasmanipulated; and send the confirmation network page to the client, wherethe confirmation network page facilitates an input of informationassociated with the guest order.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein apurchaser is associated with the guest order and at least one of theother guest orders.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the guest order issubject to at least one potential change by the guest purchaser, whereina maximum allowable purchase price of the guest order resulting from theat least one potential change is equal to an original purchase price ofthe guest order.
 4. A method, comprising: generating a guest order for apurchase of a product in a server based on interaction with a clientover a network; storing the guest order in a data store in isolationwith respect to a plurality of user accounts and in isolation withrespect to a plurality of other guest orders stored in the data store;and providing client access in the server to order data associated withthe guest order to facilitate at least one customer action with respectto the guest order.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating theguest order for the purchase of the product further comprises generatingthe guest order without establishing a user account for a purchaser. 6.The method of claim 4, wherein the guest order and at least one of theother guest orders was generated by a single purchaser.
 7. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the at least one customer action is restricted to oneof a plurality of potential actions that do not result in an increase ina purchase price associated with the guest order.
 8. The method of claim4, wherein providing client access in the server to order dataassociated with the guest order further comprises: generating apresentation of the guest order and sending the presentation of theguest order to the client; and associating an inactivity timeout withthe presentation of the guest order sent to the client.
 9. The method ofclaim 4, wherein providing client access in the server to order dataassociated with the guest order further comprises the step of sending aninput page to the client to implement an input of both a deliveryaddress of a purchaser associated with the guest order and an ordernumber associated with the guest order in order to authenticate thepurchaser.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing client access inthe server to order data associated with the guest order furthercomprises: sending a message to the delivery address, the messageincluding a link to a confirmation network page; generating theconfirmation network page upon receiving an indication in the serverfrom the client that the link was manipulated; and sending theconfirmation network page to the client.
 11. The method of claim 10,further comprising tracking a predefined period of time within which thelink is valid, where the confirmation network page is generated onlyupon receiving the indication in the server from the client that theuser has manipulated the link while the link is valid.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the confirmation network page provides for a re-entryof the order number.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theconfirmation network page is valid for a predefined period of time. 14.The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining in the serverwhether the delivery address received from the client is associated withone of the user accounts; and sending a login network page to the clientthat facilitates a user login to the one of the user accounts if thedelivery address is associated with the one of the user accounts. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the user login is accomplished using apassword.
 16. A system, comprising: a computing device; a plurality ofuser accounts stored in a data store accessible by the computing device;and an electronic commerce application executable on the computingdevice, the electronic commerce application being configured to:interact with a client to generate a guest order for a purchase of aproduct; store the guest order in the data store in isolation withrespect to the user accounts and in isolation with respect to aplurality of other guest orders stored in the data store; and provideclient access to order data associated with the guest order tofacilitate at least one customer action with respect to the guest order.17. The system of claim 16, wherein a purchaser is identified in theguest order, and the purchaser is not associated with any of the useraccounts.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein a purchaser is associatedwith the guest order and at least one of the other guest orders.
 19. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein the guest order is subject to at least onepotential change by a purchaser, and a maximum allowable purchase priceof the guest order is equal to an original purchase price of the guestorder.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic commerceapplication is further configured to generate an input page to send tothe client, the input page facilitating an input of both a deliveryaddress of a purchaser and an order number associated with the guestorder to authenticate the purchaser associated with the guest order tofacilitate the client access to order data associated with the guestorder.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the electronic commerceapplication is further configured to: send a message to the deliveryaddress via a network, the message including a link to a confirmationnetwork page; generate the confirmation network page upon receiving anindication in a server from the client that the link was manipulated;and send the confirmation network page to the client, where theconfirmation network page facilitates an input of information associatedwith the guest order.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the electroniccommerce application is further configured to track a predefined periodof time within which the link is valid, where the confirmation networkpage is generated and sent to the delivery address only if theindication that the user has manipulated the link is received in thecomputing device while the link is valid.
 23. The system of claim 21,wherein the confirmation network page facilitates the input of the ordernumber associated with the guest order.
 24. The system of claim 20,wherein the electronic commerce application is further configured to:determine whether the delivery address received from the client isassociated with one of the user accounts; and send a login network pageto the client that facilitates a user login to the one of the useraccounts if the delivery address is associated with the one of the useraccounts.
 25. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the user accountscomprises data associated with a purchaser that facilitates at least onecommercial transaction between a merchant and the purchaser.